Tome of Troubled Times

Chapter 223: Unexpected Sight

The night passed without a word between the two of them.

Zhao Changhe divided his attention between practicing and observing his surroundings, never fully immersing himself in a meditative state.

I wonder how Miss Fire Serpent of Yi is sleeping in the cave...

Vermillion Bird’s mind was preoccupied with thoughts on how to extract more insights from Zhao Changhe and what price she would pay in exchange. Eventually, she also began thinking about what the best way would be for her current alias, the Fire Serpent of Yi, to meet its end.

Perhaps due to Zhao Changhe’s effective counter-surveillance techniques as they traveled, or perhaps it was because Wang Daozhong and the assassins from the Snow-Listening Pavilion had already been forced back once, the night was peaceful with nobody coming to bother them.

As dawn broke, Zhao Changhe opened his eyes under a tree. The first thing he saw was the Fire Serpent of Yi emerging from the cave. Her graceful posture and stunning beauty were breathtaking.

She’s really got an amazing figure.

Vermillion Bird had no idea what he was looking at, but when she saw him wake up, she instinctively gave him a charming smile and said, “Good morning, dear big brother~”

After uttering those words, she nearly slapped herself after realizing how foolish her flirtatious smile was. With her mask covering her face, what was the point of putting on such a smile?

Zhao Changhe could not help but chuckle at her greeting, then loosened the reins of his horse. “Let’s go, your big brother here shall take you to buy a mask.”

Snow-Treading Crow: “...”

Vermillion Bird very naturally mounted the horse. “I’ve got a feeling that you want to go to Sword Lake City just because you didn’t get to explore it properly last time.”

“Haha... My intentions aside, how do you even know about what I did there? Does everyone in the Four Idols Cult have access to all the information everyone else is getting?”

“No,” Vermillion Bird replied stiffly. “I just happened to hear about it. I was nearby at the time.”

“So, it seems that you’ve had a connection with me for quite some time, little sister...”

“What connection? Get lost!”

With a flick of its hooves, Snow-Treading Crow galloped away, unwilling to hear anymore.

Zhao Changhe had left Sword Lake City and headed south to Yangzhou on the day after the beginning of summer. Now, it was just past the beginning of autumn. Almost exactly a quarter of a year had passed since he had last been at Sword Lake City.

He had gone from the fourth layer to the sixth layer, and having just recently broken through, the seventh layer seemed rather distant. His progress was visibly slower now than when he was still at the lower levels of cultivation, perhaps even twice as slow. It was uncertain how much slower it would become from this point onward.

The city had not changed much. It was still bustling and vibrant as it was in the past. The only thing that was noticeably different was that the lush greenery by the lakeside had now taken on a hint of autumnal gold.

Not far from the city entrance was the familiar Myriad Flowers Tower, but Tang Wanzhuang would no longer be found inside.

Wu Weiyang seemed to be by Tang Buqi’s side now, so he would not be there either.

After turning down a couple of streets, Zhao Changhe arrived at the courtyard of the inn where he once stayed with Han Wubing. This was where they had celebrated the beginning of summer. Feeling a sense of nostalgia, Zhao Changhe entered the inn and called out, “Innkeeper...”

“Ah, it’s you, sir?” The innkeeper actually recognized him. “The private courtyard you stayed in back then happens to be empty. Would you like to stay there again?”

Zhao Changhe was a little surprised. “You still remember me after so long?”

“Hah, it’s quite hard to forget you with your frightening saber, your majestic horse, and your heroic scar.” The innkeeper squinted his eyes, then smiled and said, “Are you the thirteenth hidden dragon, Zhao Changhe?”

“No, no, I just dress up like him. I heard that it’s in fashion these days,” replied Zhao Changhe. “Alright, I’ll take the courtyard I was in previously. Please help me feed my horse.”

“Got it...” The innkeeper did not actually care whether he was really Zhao Changhe or not. He glanced at the serpent-masked woman standing quietly next to him and his heart skipped a beat. He secretly judged her to be from an evil sect.

Most people would be a little frightened when they saw such an evil-looking serpent mask. At first glance, whoever was wearing such a mask would be branded an evil person.

Zhao Changhe knew what the innkeeper was thinking, so he grabbed Vermillion Bird’s hand and was about to run away, but he grabbed at air. Vermillion Bird seemed to be smirking as she said, “Don’t try to create a sense of urgency and take the opportunity to hold my hand. When I was wandering the jianghu, you had not even hit puberty.”

Zhao Changhe did not know how to react. “I wasn’t even thinking of that.”

“So you would just casually grab a woman’s hand like that? Are we that familiar with each other”

“Okay, okay,” said Zhao Changhe while secretly thinking about how cunning this witch was. Although she called him big brother sweeter than anyone else, she actually kept her distance from him, never even giving him a chance to get close to her.

Due to him having visited the weapon shop nearby before, Zhao Changhe was somewhat familiar with these streets. He quickly turned into a small shop and said with a smile, “If my memory serves me well, there should be small trinkets being sold here.”

Vermillion Bird followed him in and looked around. There were indeed quite a few masks hanging on the walls.

The masks in her Four Idols Cult were meant to exude divinity, so they often appeared fierce or eerie. On the other hand, the masks here were all cute or pretty, clearly meant for women and children.

Vermillion Bird’s eyes fell on a small fox mask, thinking that it at least looked a little sinister. But then heard Zhao Changhe say, “Shopkeeper, give me that one... Yes, the one to the right. I’ll take two of them!”

Vermillion Bird watched in disbelief as the shopkeeper handed over two pig masks. Zhao Changhe could not contain his laughter, smiling from ear to ear as he chuckled uncontrollably.

Vermillion Bird was speechless. “Are you kidding me? How am I supposed to wear a mask like this in public?”

“Hey, we’re here to get you a mask that’s completely different from your usual style. It’s supposed to be something that shouldn’t remind people of your affiliation in the slightest. So, the cuter, the better.”

“But it doesn’t have to be a pig!”

“Why not?” Zhao Changhe retorted. “See, even you yourself never could have imagined yourself wearing a pig mask.”

Vermillion Bird was speechless.

“What I’m trying to say is that you could never even imagine yourself choosing such a mask, so no one else would be able to guess that it’s you. Do you still not get it?”

Vermillion Bird found that his logic did have some sense to it... and then she promptly rejected it. “I won’t wear it.”

“Just where is this arrogance of yours coming from?” Zhao Changhe ignored her, putting on one of the pig masks himself and teasingly approaching her face. “Oink oink~”

Vermillion Bird burst into laughter.

Eh? This pig mask is actually quite cute!

Zhao Changhe took the opportunity to shove the other pig mask into her hand and said, “Just wear it, what’s the big deal? I still need to go to Ancient Sword Lake. Let’s focus on our priorities, alright?”

Vermillion Bird felt like she had not been chastised like this in the past ten years, and she really did not know how to react. But in the end, she could not bring herself to let go of the pig mask in her hand.

She held it behind her back, as if she was embarrassed to even be seen with it.

Zhao Changhe glanced around and said in a low voice, “Your serpent mask has been attracting people’s attention. It would be better for you to change your mask sooner rather than later. Just go into an alley and switch masks so that you can be done with it.”

Vermillion Bird said, “Are you sure that people are staring at my serpent mask and not a pig like you?”

“Uh, I guess they could be looking at me... hey, wait.” Zhao Changhe clenched his fist. “Are you looking for a beating?”

“Hah, as if you can beat me!” Vermillion Bird flashed a smile and swiftly darted into a nearby alley.

Zhao Changhe took a step forward, blocked the entrance to the alley, then turned his back to it.

How considerate.

Vermillion Bird stole a glance at his back, quickly removed her serpent mask, and put on the pig mask.

The soft mask was surprisingly comfortable to wear. It wasn’t as cheap as she had imagined. She felt a little better about wearing the pig mask now.

After storing away the mask of the Fire Serpent of Yi, she glanced at saw Zhao Changhe, who remained motionless with his back turned her way. She suddenly remembered the day at the Taiyi Sect, when he stood in front of Wang Daozhong—his back was slightly damp with sweat, but he remained unmoving like a mountain

Why am I suddenly thinking about that? I already beat Wang Daozhong up twice. And next time I see him, I’ll beat him again.

Little did she know that, at that moment, Zhao Changhe was completely captivated by her.

The moment that Vermillion Bird took off her serpent mask and switched it for the pig mask, he caught a glimpse of her true face, the face of the person he believed to be the Fire Serpent of Yi.

She had beautifully arched eyebrows, eyes bright as the stars, a flawless complexion, and charming, vermillion lips. It was a very conventional description of a beautiful woman, yet this represented the epitome of classical beauty according to the standards of ancient China. She did not look like someone from a martial arts sect; rather, she was an elegant classical beauty. She seemed like a lady born of high stature, and it would not even be surprising if people mistook her for Tang Wanzhuang’s sister.

Her true identity must be extraordinary as well.

The playful glance she had stolen at him before putting on the mask had a hint of mischief, but it could not mask her mature charm, and... there had also been an unmistakable fierceness in her eyes. It seemed to be completely subconscious, and Zhao Changhe was sure that if she had caught him turning around, he would have had a gruesome end.

That glance revealed that she was truly a ruthless member of a demonic cult, unlike Tang Wanzhuang or Yue Hongling.

But... she’s still so beautiful.

She was so beautiful that he felt slightly regretful about how quickly she put on the pig mask, depriving him of a second longer to admire her beauty.

A moment later, a pig mask poked out beside him. “Hey, let’s go. What are you doing standing there like a stump?”

Zhao Changhe turned to look at her, and then the two pigs met each other’s gaze.

After a moment of silence, both of them burst into laughter simultaneously.

Vermillion Bird’s mood inexplicably brightened, feeling that pig masks also had their charm.

So, she leisurely squeezed past him out of the alley and said, “Let’s go and see the sword lake. It should be very beautiful now, at the beginning of autumn.”